Heroes Bethyl AU
by AlisaRB
Summary: When one summer the Greene family decides to spend those three months in Lincoln, a little town in the middle of nowhere, the last thing Beth expected was to deal with a brother who seemed to ignore her as soon as his friends appeared and a sister who was determinated to get into trouble, but she definitely didn't expect meeting Daryl Dixon.
1. Arrival

**A/N: I decided to write this summer love/happy and fluffly fic after I saw "Heroes", a movie by Pau Freixas. It's in Catalá, but I think there must be a version with English subtitles. If you find it, please watch it, it's beautiful.**

 **Disclaimer: TWD and its characters are not my property. If I was, I'd make the cast perform every single fic I love.**

* * *

The old and ramshackle Greene's family car moved forward through a dirt road with numerous bumps that provoked a rattle that had the whole family jolting.

"Shawn, stop it or I'm gonna smack you in the head!" Maggie wiggled as she tried to push her step-brother, who wouldn't stop pinching her quickly before he looked through the window like he had nothing to do with it. Shawn turned around and looked at her with an expression of innocence.

"What're you talking about? I haven't done anything" the boy replied. Maggie frowned and started pinching him herself, embroiling them both in a very brief –but intense- fight that ended as soon as Annette turned around and gazed at them significantly, "Mom, how much longer?"

"We're already arriving" the woman answered, taking off her sunglasses carefully, "But I warn you, if you two don't behave, you're not going to get out of the house in the whole summer".

Both siblings nodded and moved in their respective seats with their backs straight so they could prove they were going to obey.

Beth, on the other hand, was focused on her notebook, writing some things down carefully and then watching them for a moment as she bit her pen before she kept writing or she crossed it out.

"What are you writing, honey?" Annette asked her softly. Beth raised her head and smiled.

"I'm trying to write some lyrics for a melody that I can't get outta my head, but I can't find the appropriate words" she explained, tapping her notebook with the pen. Annette nodded and returned her the smile, relieved because at least she had one peaceful daughter.

"I'm sure you'll find the inspiration here" the woman assured her, stretching her arm to squeeze Beth's thigh fondly. Maggie snorted.

"You're sure? Wow, awesome, didn't know we were going to Dreamland" she said sarcastically.

"Maggie" Hershel intervened with a tone that seemed to say "watch your mouth".

"I know the idea of spending the summer here doesn't sound too inviting for you right now" Annette answered, "but I'm positive you'll like it. People here are lovely".

"And it'll be good for you to put some distance with your _friends_ for a while" Hershel added. Maggie frowned.

"What's wrong 'bout them?"

"Don't start" the man sighed. Maggie straightened up even more.

"No, c'mon, what's wrong with them?"

"Enough!" Annette snapped, raising both hands and gazing at Maggie. She sighed dramatically and dropped her head against the seat, surrounding for now. Suddenly, the Greene's matriarch gasped, "There it is!"

The three siblings turned to see what Annette was pointing at, the town of Lincoln. From the car, that place seemed to be formed essentially of little houses that composed those strange steep streets, hidden from curious eyes thanks to the forests that surrounded the town. However, and since the car had already gone through those woods a few minutes ago, the place was clearly visible, and Beth couldn't help leaning a bit more against the car window to appreciate the view in a better way.

As they moved forward and got deeper into the town, Shawn kept making a guided tour.

"Look, there's an outdoor cinema there sometimes in summer" he explained, pointing at some point in a big square, "And there's my friend Patrick's house. Oh, that's the best ice cream shop in Georgia".

Beth was secretly amused with her brother's enthusiasm. Truth is she understood him: Lincoln was a really beautiful place. She had even caught some looks of admiration from her sister as she tried to pretend she was still mad, refusing to look straight through the car windows.

"Where's the house?" Beth asked, stretching to see more.

"Right… here" her dad answered before Shawn could, and parked the car suddenly. Beth opened the door, her neck extremely bent in order to see the whole house. She had her notebook and pen on one hand and she used the other one to protect her eyes from the blinding sun. She heard her family talking and the sound of the trunk as they took out the luggage, but she was too absorbed.

It was a two-storey house, way smaller than the farmhouse, and still with a really attractive charm. The façade was incredibly white, considering that it was outside, and the house had a slate roof with sky blue windows.

"Earth to Bethy" Shawn waved his hand in front of her face to make her react, "Shall we got in or not?"

She nodded energetically and hastened in follow her family to the inside.

* * *

It was unbelievable. They hadn't been there for more than two hours, and suddenly everyone in Lincoln knew that Annette Halpert and her son were back, accompanied of a new last name and three strangers that were now their family. Suddenly, that apparently peaceful house turned into an incredibly crowded place. People kept coming from everywhere, beaming and greeting them and dying to know those people who claimed to be Annie's husband and step-daughters.

Beth found herself being dragged from one person to another, being introduced to everyone and having to hear over and over again how "sweet and beautiful" she was. She felt slightly uncomfortable about how intently her neighbors were analyzing her, but still she smiled and was kind to everyone, as she had been taught, nodding and staying beside her daddy and Annette.

However, Maggie didn't seem to be so obedient. Annette was introducing Beth to one of her best friends in the town, Pam, and they couldn't stop laughing because of some kind of private joke:

"Pam's the owner of an art gallery a couple streets down" Annette explained, feeling proud for her friend, "She's such a kind person that she has exposed my work more than once".

"Well, not like there are lots of artists 'round here anyway" her friend laughed.

"Beth's a great artist" Beth blushed, "Her voice's just beautiful, you should hear her singing. And there's also… where's Maggie?"

The three of them turned around at the same time to search her, but her brunette head didn't seem to be in that crowd.

"Excuse her, she must be exploring the town on her own" Annette apologized, "You know how they are at her age".

Pam sighed, smiling at her knowingly.

"I totally understand. When Luke was around her age, he acted like he was embarrassed of my sole existence" she complained lightly.

"I think Shawn's not here either" Beth commented quietly, "Can I go for a walk?"

"Sure, go, go" Annette told her absently, trying to keep talking to her friend about a new art exposition.

Beth moved through the people quickly, getting out of the house at full speed, almost running, trying not to run into anyone who could recognize "Annette's new daughter" and stopped her to interrogate her.

She spotted Shawn at the end of the street and smiled. She covered the distance that separated them sprinting, but then he turned and frowned, and Beth stopped suddenly.

"What're you doin' here?" he asked her brusquely.

"Well, weren't you gonna show me the town?" she answered without deflating. Shawn sighed.

"Not now, okay, Bethy?" he told her, facing about. Beth opened her mouth to speak, but then one of the houses' door opened and a tall, ungainly boy with dark hair appeared.

"Hey, Halpert!" he greeted him cheerfully. Both of them smiled and bumped their fists, happy to see each other, "I'd heard you were back, but I hadn't believed it. What're you doin here?"

"My mom convinced her husband to spend the summer here" he replied, straightening up slightly, as if he wanted to look taller. Beth was confused.

Suddenly, both boys seemed to acknowledge her presence and Shawn's frown reappeared.

"Who is this?" the boy asked with a half-grin.

"She's just my step-sister" Shawn answered, shrugging and turning so his back was facing Beth. She felt a pang of pain on her chest. Shawn had never called her "his step-sister". She had always been Bethy or her baby sister.

"She got a name?" the boy kept going, not looking away from her.

"Beth" she answered before Shawn could. He looked at her angrily.

"Nice to meet you, Beth. I'm Paul" he introduced himself, handing his arm out to her. Beth shook his hand and smiled gently, and then Shawn decided he had had enough.

"Beth, can you leave? We're busy".

"You're busy during summer?" Beth countered.

"Hey, your sister can come too if she wants to" Paul intervened, but Shawn shook his head, annoyed.

"No way" he retorted, emphasizing every word. Beth huffed.

"I don't wanna go, you jerk" she answered, offended. She took a step back and contained herself not to stick her tongue out at him, "Bye, Paul".

"Goodbye, Beth" the boy answered, that half-grin still on his face. Beth turned around and started returning the way she came, stomping of pure angriness.

What was wrong with him? Not even a day ago he was Shawn, her annoying but yet sweet older brother, her Shawn, and suddenly he saw his old friends and he acted like he didn't even know her.

"Idiot" she muttered, walking through the streets, not really knowing where she was heading to, "Idiot, idiot, idiot".

She was walking so fast that suddenly she realized she wasn't surrounded by those pretty houses. She had reached the limits of the town, in where there were a lot older and rickety houses. As Beth moved forward, she realized that trailers and mobile homes were replacing those houses. She felt suddenly unprotected. That part of the town seemed so far away from the familiar ambient that she had felt back there. It was almost as if the rest of the world had forgotten that piece of Lincoln.

She crossed her arms over her chest, like she was trying to cover herself, and she kept walking while she tried to remember where was her house.

"Hey, you!" someone called her out behind her. Beth gazed at them quickly and saw a boy older than her, leaning against a motorbike and surrounded by his friends, who were also staring at her. Beth turned again and kept moving, aware that in those situations, paying attention to them was the worst thing she could do, "Yeah, the blondie! C'mere, sweetie!"

"Are you deaf or what1?" another boy yelled, and Beth quickened the pace, "Hey, don't run, come with us!"

Beth closed her eyes briefly without stopping.

"Ignore them, ignore them" she muttered to herself. But suddenly, she heard them following her. Panic flooded through her system, and she started going faster until she was practically sprinting.

"Look, she's running!" one laughed.

Beth turned a very brief moment, just to check where they were, but it was enough for the boy that had been leaning against the bike to reach her and grab her by her arm.

"No need to be afraid, gorgeous" he told her, with a wolfish grin, "You're new around here, right?"

"What's a goody two shoes like you doin' round here, huh?" another boy asked jokingly, and the others laughed stupidly.

"Well, well, let's be nice, yeah, boys?" the one of the motorbike approached her, and Beth found herself backing up, "Excuse my friends, they're like animals, aren't they? I'm Joe" and he lifted his arm. Beth, who was too polite to reject it, tried to shake his hand, but suddenly he took hers and planted a kiss on her knuckles, acting like a sudden gentleman, "These are Len, Lou, Harley and Tony. We didn't mean to scare you, sweetie, we just wanted to meet you".

"You didn't scare me" Beth answered, but her voice wavered, and Joe's smile widened.

"Is that it?" he asked, flicking his tongue, "Well, then there's no way you can refuse a ride with us, right? We could show you the real monuments of this dump".

"I'd love to" Beth lied, trying to be as charming as possible, "but I have to get home or my parents will get worried".

"Then let us give you a lift" he insisted, "Do you see that beauty?" he pointed at the bike, "I won it over some jackass in a race. It goes smoothly. I wouldn't mind taking you home if you want".

"You're really kind, but it's not necessary" Beth nodded, not knowing how to get rid of them. She decided that a quick escape would be the easiest option, but as soon as she tried to move, he grabbed her by her forearm, this time a little bit tighter.

"C'mon, c'mon, why are you rushing so much? Your parents don't need to worry, you're safe with us" he told her, and the others nodded. Beth decided that being nice wouldn't work anymore.

"Look" she started, trying to look daunting, "thanks for the offer, but it's not necessary. I wanna go home or my parents and my older brother are gonna come for me".

"You're brother's gonna come looking for you?"

"Yeah, he is. Shawn, you know him?" she retorted, standing on her tiptoes slightly and straightening up. The rest of them looked at each other, until finally Joe laughed.

"Course, how I could not realize 'fore? You're Halpert's step-sister".

"He's Greene now" Beth corrected him.

"Whatever. Well, I know Shawn. He's a decent guy. Honest. People don't know shit 'bout honesty nowadays, you know what I mean?" Beth nodded, just to manage to leave as soon as possible, "Okay, gorgeous, then I have to make sure you get home safely".

Beth contained an exasperated huff.

"But you don't wanna ride my bike and I'm too old to go" Beth wanted to snort, considering the boy seemed just a couple years older than Shawn, "So…" Joe lifted his eyes from her and smiled widely, "Look at this, just in time!"

Beth turned around and saw two boys, one who seemed to be on his late twenties, and the other one, who seemed to be around those boys' age. They were getting out of the woods.

"Dixon brothers, I'm happy to see you" Joe commented, "Merle, you got out, huh? How was it?"

"Same shit as ever" the older one answered, shrugging, "Lucky me I had Darylina to bail me out and make me a decent man" they all laughed except for the younger brother and Beth. She looked at him, who was looking at her just at the same time, and as soon as their eyes met Beth wanted to fix her gaze on the ground and never raise her head again.

"You a decent man. I'd pay to see that" Harley said.

"Huh, who's the jailbait?" Merle asked, pointing at her. Beth flinched slightly.

"Halpert's baby sister" Len answered.

"Didn't know Halpert had a sister".

"He doesn't, she's her step-sister" Joe commented, "And I was just telling her that she needs someone to walk her home. You know what kind of bad people are here" and he smiled. Beth contained a shiver and clenched her hands in fists so no one could notice they were shaking slightly.

"I already told you it's not necessary, really" Beth repeated quietly, turning so she could look at Joe, "I can get home on my own".

"No way" Merle said loudly, "That's perfect, 'cause Darylina was just tellin' me how little he wanted to come to the bar today, so he can walk you home".

Beth dared to squint at her swiftly, just as Merle's little brother spoke for the first time.

"I don't have time to walk kids home 'cause she can't find her house on a shitty town" he replied acidly. Beth frowned lightly.

"And I didn't ask you to" she retorted, taking a step forward.

"Daryl, be reasonable" Joe told him, "You're not gonna ignore a damsel in distress, are you?"

"I'm not-"

Suddenly a roar broke the conversation, and a motorbike ridden by a boy with the same aspect as the rest appeared… and Maggie's arms were wrapped around that boy's waist.

"Maggie!" Beth exclaimed, surprised and relieved to see a familiar face. Her sister seemed as shocked as her to see her there. She approached her quickly, swaying her hips lightly, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I like this one better" Merle licked his lips, looking her from head to toe, "A real woman".

"Halpert's definitely a lucky fucker" Joe muttered.

"Hey, she's with me" the boy who was riding the bike, frowning.

"Of course, sure" Joe said, lifting both hands, "All yours".

"Beth, what are you doing here?" Maggie repeated, grabbing her by her arm.

"I was taking a walk and I got lost" Beth confessed quietly, "But the question is, what are _you_ doing here?"

Maggie shrugged nonchalantly.

"Maybe Annette's right. People here are _lovely_ " she answered sarcastically, and she casted a flirty look at the boy with the bike, "But you shouldn't be here".

"We were just talking 'bout that, honey" Merle said then, approaching Maggie, "My baby brother's willing to walk her home".

Maggie looked at Daryl and frowned.

"Not necessary, I can walk her home".

"But you were coming to the bar, weren't you, Maggie?" that boy said, "We have to give you a proper welcome".

"My Darylina is one hundred percent reliable" Merle assured her, "He'll walk her home safe and sound. He didn't want to come today anyway. Right, baby brother?"

Daryl stared daggers at him before he shook his head jerkily.

"Everythin' settled then. Shall we go, mademoiselle?" and he offered his arm to Maggie, who accepted it hesitantly.

"Beth, if dad asks for me, you make something up, alright?" she instructed her over her shoulder, and Beth nodded with resignation, not liking a little bit what her sister was doing. If her daddy found out with what kind of people she was hanging out, or worse, if he found out they were going to a bar, Beth was convinced Maggie wouldn't get out of the house for the rest of the summer.

However, Maggie was her sister. If she asked Beth to cover her, she had to do so. They both had each other's backs.

So she sighed as she watched her disappear with that group, until it was just Daryl and her. Daryl didn't even look at her before he started walking quickly. Beth had to rush to reach him.

"Like I don't have nothin' better to do" she heard him grumble.

"It wasn't my idea" she protested.

"It was you who got lost in a tiny town" he retorted, still not looking at her. Beth flushed lightly.

"I didn't do that on purpose" Beth replied, offended, "Besides, you don't have to walk me home if you hate the idea so much. Just because your brother ordered you to do so don't mean you actually have to obey him".

Daryl stopped suddenly, and if looks could kill, Beth would be already buried. She gulped, feeling intimidated, and she looked away immediately.

"I don't wanna be a bother" she added in a lighter tone.

"Too late" he barked bitterly, and Beth gritted her teeth.

They walked silently until they were at the beginning of her house's street. For when they were there, the sun was already setting down, darkening Lincoln, and Beth wasn't annoyed anymore, instead feeling thankful.

"Thanks for walking me home" she told her, smiling softly, "You've been really nice".

He gazed at her for a second, visibly confused for her sudden kindness, and he nodded once as he shrugged one shoulder.

"Was nothing" he answered, his gaze wandering anywhere but her.

"Still. I know you'd prefer bein' with your friends".

"They're not my friends" he corrected her immediately, and Beth nodded.

"Okay. Thanks anyway".

Daryl seemed to think about it before he spoke again.

"Try not to get lost walking down the street" he said brusquely, but Beth just smiled, knowing he wasn't really being malicious.

"I'll try" she promised him, "Bye, Daryl".

But he had already turned around and started walking up the street, disappearing behind one of the corners.

Beth stood there for a moment, and suddenly she heard Shawn behind her.

"Beth, what're you lookin' at?" he asked her. Beth turned around, blinked and shook her head.

"No one" she answered, ignoring the fact that he had asked her "what" and not "who". She walked past him and entered the house, and Shawn took a few steps forward, trying to see whatever her baby sister had been watching so intently.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, so this is pretty introductory, even though things are going to be more explained in the future: Annette used to live here with Shawn, obviously before she married Hershel. Just to clarify, and considering this is a "summer love" fic, ages are changed: Beth's sixteen, Maggie's eighteen, Shawn's almost twenty, Daryl's twenty-three and Merle's twenty-seven. Not such a big difference, right? I promise it was totally necessary for the plot. I love NR being twenty, forty or even eighty.  
**

 **Thanks for reading and please review!**


	2. Splash

**A/N: I just wanted to clarify that if things seem a little bit rushed it's not because I'm deciding I don't want to be realistic, but because this is not a story like the rest of my fics. There isn't more darkness than the usual in every normal life, and it's mostly a happy and hopeful story that I'm trying to fill with sweetness and happiness, so please, keep an open mind and enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own TWD or its characters. I wish, because I've read fics better than some episodes.**

* * *

Greene family had been in Lincoln for two days, and Beth already knew everyone. There were their neighbors, the Grimes, who were really nice people and had a baby girl called Judith. Beth was absolutely in love with her. There was also Amy, who was just three years older than Beth and already owned a little handmade jewelry business. There was Rhee family, who were from Korea. They were Mrs. Rhee, who had three daughters and the oldest son, Glenn, worked in the only pizza place in the town, which was owned by Tyreese and Sasha, two siblings who had arrived not a long ago from Jacksonville. There were other neighbors, like the Chambler or Martinez, but the truth was that Beth had got to a terrible realization: she was completely alone.

While Shawn was too busy trying to look like a badass with his friends, Maggie seemed to have turned into an enthusiastic town girl.

That very last night, Beth had woken up when she had heard a creak. She had opened her eyes really slowly, and then her body had stiffened as soon as she saw the silhouette beside her window.

"Maggie!" she hissed, her heart still pounding of fear, "what're you doin'!?"

"Shh" she hushed her softly, "Keep it down".

"Oh, okay, so you sneak into my room and I gotta be quiet…" she whispered.

"I'm goin for a ride" Maggie explained as quietly as her sister. Beth was lost.

"A ride?" she turned to lit up her nightstand lamp to check the hour, "Maggie, it's half past two in the morning".

"The perfect time to see the stars with Nick" her sister smiled as if nothing. Beth blinked.

"You're kidding".

"You wanna come with us? Nick has some very handsome fellas" and she winked at her.

"No way!" Maggie brought her index finger to her lips when Beth exclaimed, "Maggie, I don't like that people, they give me a bad feeling".

"C'mon, Bethy, they're not that bad. You have to get to know them first, but that's it. You sure you don't wanna come?"

"No, thank you" Beth contained a yawn.

"Okay, then cover me, huh?" she tried to open the window, but she found she couldn't. Beth stood up and unlatched it, sighing. Maggie smiled her thankfully and leaned against her to kiss her on the cheek, "Nighty-night!"

Beth watched her climbing down a tree with amazing skill until she reached the ground. She frowned when she spotted Nick's bike parked in the distance, and she couldn't help leaning on the window's ledge to watch how both of them disappeared into the night's darkness. Worn out, she closed the window again and got into bed again to sleep a little bit more, even though she was too worried about her sister to be calm enough.

So when next morning she woke up feeling fully rested, she was surprised to learn that it wasn't even seven in the morning, and that someone was throwing pebbles at her window. She stretched out carefully and approached the window to see a much disheveled Maggie gesturing at her. Beth wanted to huff, but she contained herself, instead opening the window and helping her sister out to get into her bedroom.

"You've been with those people the whole night?" she scolded her.

"And what a night" Maggie was glowing, even though her make-up was messed up and her black stockings were torn, "We went to a super cool place near their houses, and they lit up a fire and started telling all kinds of stories. I swear I couldn't stop crying with laughter, Bethy. Those boys are amazing, really. That Merle can look like a creepy at the beginning, but as soon as he gets the memo that he's not gonna get anything with you, he just makes you laugh, he's great. After that, when it was about four in the morning or so, Nick and I mounted on his bike again and-"

"Enough" Beth cut it off, blushing softly. Maggie smiled devilishly.

"Calm down, I'll spare you the juicy details" she said, "Besides, I'm dog tired. I think I'm gonna get into bed and hibernate till tomorrow".

"Good night then" Beth sighed, heading to bed again. Maggie took off her shoes and opened the door carefully, peeking into the hallway before she got out slowly. She turned just an instant and winked at her just like last night. Beth smiled lightly.

Once she was alone again, Beth fell on the bed with a thud and stared at the ceiling until she heard a soft "click" from Maggie's door.

* * *

Beth was so bored she thought she was going to snap. She had tried writing songs, but she felt like her inspirations had vanished suddenly, and if she had to stay another second in that house, she was going to go crazy.

So she got out suddenly, and she found her parents talking with the Grimes marriage, but Beth just stopped a second to smile at them before she started running towards the woods.

She didn't even had an idea of where did she want to go: Lincoln was a small place, and she only knew that if she took a walk around the residential area she'll have to talk with people who would ask her about her family despite she just lived two minutes away. So she deviated slightly from the usual way and kept walking until she reached the town's border. She kept going then, until she suddenly realized she didn't know the first thing about orientation. But that wasn't going to stop her. She convinced herself into thinking that she just had to remember strategic spots so she could follow them to find the way back. And that's how she started analyzing her surroundings, looking for places that seemed striking enough to help her come back.

She didn't realize her plan had some holes until she walked past the third tree with the same type of twisted trunk. She turned on her heels, trying to find something else that could be familiar, but everything looked green, confusing and dense. She randomly chose a direction and followed it blindly, convinced that she had to get somewhere eventually.

Ten minutes later, she found a little creak that seemed to run to the lower forest. Beth remembered something she had read once about following watercourses if you ever got lost, so she started quickening her pace to see where would that tiny creak go.

She was so focused on that task, sliding through the undergrowth and stepping on fallen leaves that she barely got to hear a hiss through the air before she felt a bolt vibrating as it nailed on a tree trunk, inches away from her body. She froze, stopped breathing, moving, not even attempting to change her position, with her gaze fixed on some random point. When after a few seconds she heard steps approaching, she thought she'd faint when she saw the same surly boy that had reluctantly agreed in walking her home two days ago, carrying a crossbow.

"Daryl" she panted, releasing a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding. She felt a sudden relief for having found a familiar face, even though he didn't seem very happy to find her. She wondered if he ever stopped frowning.

He wasn't definitely going to stop in that moment, because he started approaching her in a rush and Beth couldn't help backing up slightly, daunted by his presence. However, he wasn't going towards her, but to her side to take the bolt that had hit in the trunk. He took it out suddenly and started examining it intently, and then he split it in two.

"I lost my target because of you" he growled, and Beth blinked, turning an instant to look at where the bolt had nailed into.

"What… target?"

Daryl wasn't looking at her, but he was more focused in breaking into four the two halves of the bolt.

"I had that squirrel just in front of me, and you had to arrive making a hell of racket just when I shoot. I could've pierced you".

Beth didn't know what to say.

"I'm… sorry" she apologized, "A squirrel? Do you hunt squirrels?"

He shrugged one shoulder.

"Meat's meat" he lifted his eyes to look at her, "and what're you doin' here anyway?"

She felt slightly annoyed by his rudeness.

"The woods are everyone's, right? I can walk here".

"You can do whatever you want for all I care as long as you don't scare off the game" he complained, spinning around to resume his walking. He took two steps, stopped and looked at her over his shoulder, "You lost again?"

Beth blushed, but shook her head.

"No, I was just… taking a walk" she explained, "That house was suffocating me. Maggie is always with your f… with your brother's friends, so…"

Daryl watched her for a moment before he nodded and turn around.

"Wait" she stopped him, "Can I… go with you?"

"You're too noisy" Daryl answered bitterly, "I wouldn't get shit".

"I didn't mean hunting" she countered, shrugging, "I know we didn't have a good start, but… I'd like to be your friend, Daryl".

"You don't wanna be friend of mine, girl" he shook his head, "You're just bored".

"I am not" she protested, "Well, maybe a bit, but what if I am? You look just as bored as me. You wouldn't be hunting squirrels otherwise".

"I don't do it for-"

"Okay, you hunt them to eat 'em" Beth interrupted him, raising both hands in a surrender gesture, "But hey, I thought people were supposed to welcome new neighbors".

"I think you've had enough welcomes" he answered brusquely, "People won't stop talking 'bout your family as if you were the fucking royalty".

Beth giggled.

"But no one's shown me this" she answered, "Oh, c'mon. You can always leave me in the middle of the forest if you hate my company so much".

That seemed to make him smirk, but he kept his face serious, and after a few seconds, he finally nodded. Beth beamed and tried to approach him, but Daryl stopped her.

"If you're comin' with me" he started, "you might as well keep it quiet".

Beth looked at her feet, as if her loud steps were on them and not on herself.

"Kay" she muttered hesitantly. He nodded again and they both resumed their walking, "And… how long you've been living in Lincoln?"

He needed a few seconds to speak.

"Three years" he answered, his gaze still fixed on what was in front of them. Beth alternated gazes between Daryl, the woods and the ground to avoid stumbling.

"You live with your brother?"

"Hm-mm" he just muttered. Beth bit her inner cheek.

"You like living here?"

"Girl, you wanna play twenty questions or you wanna walk?"

"Alright, I'm sorry" she apologized quietly, huffing; "I just wanted to make this more pleasant".

"It'll be more pleasant if we don't talk".

"Yes, sir" Beth whispered when he took a couple steps forward. Beth reached him again and they kept walking silently, she slightly absorbed by her thoughts and he as quiet as a tomb.

The creak had been growing gradually, and suddenly Beth got out of her haze to find a river in front of her. She turned around, excited, and found Daryl staring at it with indifference.

"It's beautiful" she told him.

"'S no big deal".

"It reminds me of the woods around my farmhouse" she continued, approaching the river more and more.

"Careful there" he growled cautiously, and Beth nodded.

"I know" she answered, but then she took off one Converse and then the other.

"Girl, what are you doin'?" Daryl asked. Beth smiled at him over her shoulder.

"I'm enjoying the river. Do you wanna join me?" he hastened in shaking his head and she just shrugged, "Suit yourself" she told him before her feet touched the water. She couldn't contain the soft hiss that escaped her lips. Water was a lot colder than she had expected. She got more deeply into the water carefully, until it was licking her knees, just a few inches below the hem of her sundress.

Beth started splashing softly, and suddenly, she turned and found Daryl staring at her, awkward.

"Oh, come on, c'mere" she said, "Aren't you hot?"

"I'm okay".

Beth frowned.

"Sure you are" she commented nonchalantly, turning again and pretending she was bending over to get her hands into the water. Suddenly, and before he could react, Beth splashed him lightly but enough to soak his face.

"What the…!" he tried to say, but Beth was laughing so hard he couldn't even talk. He just watched her, incredulous, while she put her hands over her stomach to control the shakes that rolled over her body from the laughter.

"Sorry" she managed to say, wiping her tears, "It's just…" and she started laughing again. She bent over herself, resting her hands on her knees, "Sorry".

Daryl stayed there, watching how Beth tried to breathe evenly, and for when she finally did it, he had approached her. Beth startled lightly when she realized he wasn't avoiding her like the plague. She tried to open her mouth to apologize seriously, but then he splashed her so hard and so suddenly than Beth started coughing and laughing at the same time, which provoked more coughing, turning that into a cycle that finally ended when Beth gulped and started kicking the water to soak him even more, laughing hysterically.

"You can't win me in a water fight, Daryl Dixon!" she yelled at him, her voice mingling with the sound of the water. Beth managed to see what looked like a smirk before a huge wave of water landed on her.

It caught her by surprise, and she took a step back, stumbled and fell on the water, soaking her dress completely.

Daryl's eyes widened and he froze for a moment before he approached her.

"Here" and he offered her his hand to help her get up. Beth accepted it, but as soon as he tried to make her stand, she grabbed him by his shoulders and threw him to the river. He got out astonished.

"I warned you. You can't win me" she shrugged.

* * *

Beth squeezed her hair one more time before she tried to dry her hands on the less wet parts of her dress.

"Sorry 'bout that" he muttered, and she smiled.

"I think I should apologize as well" she giggled just from seeing him, still dripping, "About your vest and all".

"'S just trash anyway".

"This dress's nothing important either" she shrugged and he just nodded.

They started walking back town in a strange but comfortable silence. Beth was fidgeting with the hem of her dress as he kept shaking his head to get rid of the annoying water drops that wouldn't stop falling down his face.

"You've been hunting for long?" she asked him suddenly. He nodded, but Beth didn't expect him to elaborate.

"I learnt when I was about eight or nine".

"So young?" Beth raised both eyebrows, and Daryl shrugged uncomfortably.

"My dad taught Merle and I".

"How come he didn't go hunting with you today?" she asked innocently.

"He prefers eating what I hunt" he snorted, and Beth giggled.

"You have to admit he's clever".

"Depends on how you see it" he answered. They arrived to the same place he had dropped her two days before, and Beth turned around to look at him, "I better stop here. It wouldn't be a good idea that someone saw you with me".

Beth frowned, confused.

"Why?"

"'S better that way" he just shrugged. Beth couldn't help wondering if what he really meant was that it was better for him if no one saw him walking with a sixteen year old girl, but she didn't comment anything on it.

"Okay" she muttered, feeling a bit uncomfortable all of a sudden, "Thanks again for walking me home. I had so much fun today".

He nodded and grumbled something unintelligible.

"Friends?" and she offered him her hand, smiling sweetly. Daryl looked at her skeptically, "Oh, c'mon, there's no river where I can throw you into this time".

Daryl seemed to hesitate just a second before he shook her hand swift but firmly.

"And now go home 'fore you catch a pneumonia" he chided softly. Beth giggled one last time and headed towards her house, turning her head just once before she got in, but he was already gone.

She found Maggie in the entry, putting on a jacket.

"You fell on a puddle or something like that?"

"Beth contained herself from laughing.

"Something like that" she answered, and tried to climb the stairs, but then Maggie grabbed her by her arm and smiled at her incredulously.

"Beth Greene, are you being _bad_?"

She shrugged, still smiling, and Maggie bursted out laughing.

"I love it".

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading and please review!  
**


	3. Thunder

**A/N: I really like this chapter. I like it level "I'm going to bury my face and giggle".**

 **Disclaimer: TWD and its characters aren't mine. I wish, because fifth season was HELL.**

* * *

There had passed another couple of days since Daryl and Beth's water fight, and she couldn't stop thinking about that time spent with the youngest Dixon. It had been a while since the last time she had had so much fun. When Annette had suggested Hershel they could spend their summer in Lincoln, her excuse for that sudden idea was "a change of scene", even though everyone in their family knew they really meant Beth, who had been so deeply absorbed by herself those last months that her parents had even thought of taking her to a doctor, both of them terrified because suddenly her little girl had turned from a sweet and happy girl to be silent and wanting to be alone.

So that evening, after dinner, Beth decided that she wanted to live the world that she had been watching from her bedroom's window, and she got out without telling everyone. She started walking in the same direction that she took the other day, climbing the only slope in that small town, but that time, instead of heading towards the forests, she kept going to the dirt road until she reached the zone full of dilapidated houses where she had come in her first day there. She didn't need long to spot the bar where Maggie and her new friends used to go: it was the only bar in the town, and also, it was known for its bad reputation.

She looked at herself and suddenly regretted her outfit choice when she was about to open the door. She was wearing a sky-blue blouse with jeans and her cowboy boots. It wasn't like she was going to come back home to change, of course, but she was thinking of looking like an older person, or at least a person of her age, but now she looked like she was ten.

She was about to open the door when a masculine voice stopped her.

"Huh, look who's here" Beth froze when she heard Len's voice behind her. She turned her head to squint at him. Len was approaching her with a shit-eating grin, "Maggie's baby sister".

"Hello" she greeted him as she tried to be nice and smile, but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to.

"What is a kid like you 'round here?"

"'M not a kid" Beth replied immediately, and Len bursted out laughing dryly.

"Course not" and the way he leered at her showed her his real thoughts. Beth's stomach dropped suddenly, "Damn shame you're jailbait, gorgeous".

"Not really" Beth answered tensely. Len's smile faded.

"But if you're illegal you can't go in there, can you, girl?" he lifted a hand and pinched her cheek. Beth moved away brusquely, "Don't be rude, Bethy, your sister's more eager to touch".

Beth's hands clenched into fists.

"Don't think she lets you" she was honestly surprised by her own words and the firmness of her voice. Now Len looked pissed. He grabbed her by her arm and moved her towards him, trying to intimidate her.

"You'd be surprised to know what she lets guys do" he grunted. Beth straightened up, willing to send a comeback.

Just in that instant the door opened and Daryl appeared, fidgeting in his pockets. He lifted his head and stared at Len, then at Beth, and then at Len again, now frowning.

"What're you doin'?" he asked. Len grinned and dropped Beth's arm. She rubbed it, feeling extremely annoyed.

"Just talkin' with Maggie's baby sister" he answered, shrugging. Beth felt Daryl's eyes on her for a second before he spoke.

"She doesn't look like she wanna talk with you" Daryl countered, and both boys looked at her, "I'd better leave if I were you".

"Or what?" they approached each other until their foreheads were almost together, staring daggers at one another. Beth felt a bit scared when she thought one of them was going to punch the other, but she couldn't move or intervene.

"Or I'll make you leave" Daryl grunted. A few really tense seconds passed, until finally Len moved away, chuckling and shaking his head.

"All yours, Dixon" he told him, "Too prissy for me" and he pushed Beth lightly so she would move towards Daryl. She turned around and opened her mouth, but Len had already gotten into the bar.

The both of them stayed silent for a few moments in which Beth tried to find the proper words. Daryl seemed to be more interested in taking out of his pocket a lighter to light up a cigarette he had suddenly produced than in looking at her.

"He always acts like a jerk?" she finally asked. Daryl shrugged as he exhaled a smoke snuff, "Thanks".

"It wasn't for you" he grunted immediately, "Len seem willing to press my buttons to see how much I let him before he loses his teeth".

"Oh" Beth muttered, "Thanks anyway".

"What are you doin here?" Daryl asked her, pointing at her with a finger from the hand that was holding the lighter.

"I was taking a walk" she just answered, praying so Daryl wouldn't see through his lie. However, he pierced her with those blue eyes that seemed to be able to read her thoughts and nodded slowly, taking another drag of the cigarette.

"A walk" he repeated. Beth smiled, blushing softly, and he smirked lightly, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmm-mm" he muttered, exhaling again before he dropped the cigarette to the ground, "Weird place to take a walk" he said with a jokingly tone.

"Why do you always my walk's decisions?" she answered in the same tone.

"You don't have a good judgment" he shrugged. Beth nodded, biting her lower lip.

"You should enlighten me then" she finally answered, feeling brave. Daryl seemed to think about it before he nodded. He took two steps forward until he was beside her, and then, he turned towards the woods.

"Follow the creek and keep goin' til you find a bridge" he indicated her. Beth blinked, confused, but then she saw Daryl's smirk and she started laughing.

"Very funny".

He just shrugged and took a step back. A thunder was heard in the distance, and Beth lifted her head, surprised.

"It's gonna rain?" she muttered, almost to herself, but then Daryl nodded.

"It's gonna pour" he confirmed.

Just like the sky had heard him, the first drops started falling. Beth couldn't help laughing, and then rain intensified.

"We should go in" Beth said, but he shook his head.

"Do you wanna go in there with Joe and his buddies?" he asked her, raising his eyebrows, "Le's go".

"Where to?"

But he didn't answer. Instead, he started walking towards the houses, and even though Beth was lightly confused, she followed him immediately. However, and unlike Beth's thoughts, Daryl didn't keep that way much longer, deviating instead for a trail hidden by the bushes that Beth hadn't seen. Despite it was covered by green, the rest of the way didn't have a single tree or any vegetation at all. Daryl was climbing towards one of the mountains.

"Are we gonna climb while it's raining?" she asked him. Daryl just pointed at a half-ruined barn in the middle of a clearing. He picked up the pace and she did the same.

When they arrived there, Daryl just had to get rid of a wood table that was blocking the doors to open them. Beth felt a sudden nostalgia when she remembered the barn of her farmhouse. Daryl closed the doors after she came in and started shaking his head like a dog to get rid of the water in his hair. Beth was soaking wet too, but she just squeezed her braid carefully and started trying to separate the fabric of the blouse from her body.

"How come I always wind up drippin' when I'm with ya?" he grunted, and Beth smiled.

"Don't say it like it's a bad thing, you have fun with me" she teased him lightly. Daryl grunted again something unintelligible and Beth started climbing the wooden mobile stairs to get to the hayloft.

"Where are you going?"

"Here's so much better. C'mon" she encouraged him when she reached her destination, "Are you afraid of heights?"

Daryl snorted.

"'M afraid of nothing" he answered as he started climbing. Beth couldn't help smiling before Daryl's bravado. Once he got there too, she moved so he could sit beside her, "Now what?"

"How do you know this place?" she asked him suddenly.

"It's a barn, not Narnia" he avoided her question.

"It reminds me of my home".

"You live in a barn?"

"In a farmhouse" she replied, giggling, "But I spend so much time in the barn that it's almost like my home, so yeah. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you live in one of those houses 'round the bar?"

"In one of the trailers" he answered, lying down against a haystack. Beth turned her head to look at him, bringing her knees to her chest to hug herself, "Your parents told something when you got home soakin' wet?"

"They didn't find out. They were having dinner at a neighbors' house" Beth answered. She had had to have dinner on her own that night, since no one from her family had appeared until much later. She didn't tell him that, of course. However, he looked at her and nodded, as if he just knew.

Beth lied down beside him and turned her neck to him.

"You're not like the other boys" she told him in a suddenly down voice. Daryl brought his arm behind his head, his gaze fixed on the ceiling.

"I told you they're Merle's friends, not mine".

"I know. But you look… intimidating too" she giggled when he stared at her questioningly, "You know, looking pissed off and grunting".

"I scare you" there wasn't any hardness in his tone, just amusement. Beth blushed.

" _'_ _M afraid of nothing_ " she quoted him, and he smirked, "But you looked mad at the whole world".

Daryl didn't answer, instead turning his head towards the ceiling again.

"It reminds me of when my daddy married Annette" she started, and Daryl looked at her, "I was eleven, but Maggie was thirteen, and suddenly she didn't wanna be with anyone. She hated all of us, she sneaked out… I think she just changed in the 'I hate the world' part" and she smiled.

"The happy family".

"We weren't happy at all" Beth countered, shaking her head, "But we are now. Yeah, we fight, but we love each other. That's what family is about, I guess. But you know that already" she shrugged, "I mean, with Merle".

Daryl didn't answer and Beth started toying with her pendant. They were in silence, but it wasn't awkward. They were both thinking about their own stuff, with the rain sounding low inside the barn.

"What're you singing?"

Beth frowned and turned her neck.

"I was singing out loud?" he nodded, and Beth couldn't help but flush, "Tom Waits. You know" she insisted before his confused expression, and she started humming a few bars of a song.

"Dunno".

Beth's eyes widened.

"Daryl Dixon" she started, her voice just an indignant whisper, "you can't go out there without knowing Tom Waits".

That seemed to amuse him. Beth inhaled deeply.

 _When I'm lying in my bed at night_

 _I don't wanna grow up_

 _Nothing ever seems to turn out right_

 _I don't wanna grow up_

"That's a hell of a song" he muttered, and Beth bursted out laughing.

"He has more… hopeful songs"

"How does this one finish?" he asked her then. Beth tried to remember the rest of it before she continued. She was singing quietly, staring at him intently to watch his reaction, but Daryl's face was blank.

" _The only thing I live for is today…_ " her voice started fading slowly as she stared at him goofily. Now that she looked at him, she realized he was handsome. Okay, he was _really_ handsome. Beth found herself lifting her hand lightly to brush his stubble lightly, but she moved it away immediately, "Sorry" she whispered, almost scared to talk louder.

"Don't matter" he answered just as quietly as her, and Beth smiled. Just in that instant another thunder cracked, and Beth shuddered and closed her eyes. When she shut them open again, she found Daryl grinning, "I thought you weren't afraid of anything".

"I'm not afraid" she protested, but he raised an eyebrow and she smiled lightly, "Just a bit".

Another thunder, this one closer, and Beth grabbed Daryl's arm strongly, hiding her face.

"I used to build a pillow fort when I was little" she explained to him, still holding onto him, unaware of the way Daryl had stiffened, "I used to hug one of 'em and cover myself with blankets until I fell asleep".

She raised her eyes and found Daryl surprisingly close and visibly uncomfortable.

"Oh, I'm sorry" she tried to move, but then another thunder cracked, and she dug her nails into his arm unconsciously, "Sorry".

Daryl snorted.

"You can grab my arm if you promise you won't tear it every time a thunder cracks".

"Okay" she agreed immediately, cuddling beside him and hiding her face against his shoulder. She couldn't help inhaling him softly. He felt like woods. She moved a bit closer and squeezed his arm, "You're a lot better than a pillow".

Even with her face firmly pressed against him, Beth felt him blushing.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, now do you understand what I really meant with open mind? Think in these two things:  
**

 **1) Daryl is in his twenties. That means that he's angry, but he hasn't been through most of the tough shit (yet). My poor baby.**

 **2) Like I said, this is a happy and fluffly story. And I write it mostly for myself, because I think I need to start writing more happy stories, since "I know it now" and another fic of mine are pretty dark.  
**

 **Thanks for reading and please review!**


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